Trip Report – Coastal Oregon | July 12-16, 2026

I went to Oregon for a landscape photography workshop and came home with surprisingly few landscape photos… Oddly enough, I think that’s part of why the trip was so successful.

I assumed I was there to shoot landscapes. And instead, came away having learned something much more useful: how to see things differently.

Another important thing I learned – and have added to my small and deeply ingrained collection of photography mantras – don’t decide beforehand what you’re supposed to find.

The photographs that are important to me are the ones where something unusual happened: the surfer at Haystack Rock, the blue rock/pottery transformation at Cape Kiwanda, and the other weird things I found at the smaller locations. They certainly aren’t “Behold my beautiful photo of [insert Famous Oregon Location].” They’re much more about what I was noticing at the time. And paying attention to – which was usually something different than what I thought I was there for.

The Keepers

These are the ones that kind of blew me away, or at least made me think about things a lot.

Cannon Beach

I didn’t get any of those beautiful shots of this place you see all the time, but I did get this one of a lone surfer who walked into my field of view and made this work for me.

Seal Rock

Maybe I should have just called this post ‘Trip Report: Seal Rock and oh, yes, other parts of Oregon too.’

The gull doing fine off by itself. That.

The most amazing shot of the trip for me. Ghosts on the beach.

My first time seeing pigeon guillemots and one obligingly flew past the colorful basalt cliffs for me. If only I’d had my long lens – but this photo feels pretty satisfying.

Another ICM showing the solidity of the cliffs, and everything else in motion.

Cape Kiwanda

Right next door to Pelican Brewing Company and their outstanding Tsunami Bowl.

This is my tiny shore crab friend I hung out with on the edge of a tide pool for a half hour.

The pile of blue rocks that I just found fascinating – even more so when I processed them at the hotel later and discovered they reminded me of market day in Santa Fe.

Thor’s Well

Yes this is one of those iconic places – don’t hold that against me. I would not have been this close had the tide been considerably higher.

Sweet Water Falls Trail

I could have stayed here all day.

Actual Landscape Shots

See! I did get one. With my phone.

About the Workshop

I can’t say enough good things about workshop leader Scott Setterberg’s tour company and his Oregon Coast workshop in particular. First, it was a small group – that was different than the other workshops I’ve done, and meant much more attention for each attendee. And literally having everything taken care of, including transportation, hotels, restaurant decisions, and shooting locations that were already well thought out – generally anything that required thinking, Scott had it covered – made this an especially ideal trip for me.

I felt like I had zero responsibility except to wake up each day ready to shoot. It was very freeing; it was like constantly skipping to the fun parts. It gave me mental breathing room I apparently needed pretty badly.

For five days I basically got to live inside that part of photography that I love the most: notice something, get curious, try something, see what happens, learn something, rinse and repeat. Iteration with no pressure.

Plus, the type and level of instruction particularly suited me: give me just enough rope to hang myself, then time to play with it and internalize what seems useful, then back for more rope. Worked for me.

Of course there were a few disappointments. The appallingly limp bacon at [restaurant that will not be named]. On our second day there I asked for “crispy” bacon, which resulted in meat that could best be described as “just about done.” But at another restaurant, requesting “incinerated” bacon did the trick and I had a proper breakfast, including some really good homemade marionberry jam. 😉 Try something, iterate, try again.

Also: the failure to get any kind of Bigfoot sighting.

I came home with an unexpected but really nice souvenir from this trip – a much bigger photography world than the one I left with. And I also gave myself permission to experiment, and apparently I have not given it back yet.